The
X-Men Movie
By Disco Stu - Editor in
Chief : Issue 3, Vol. I
 Evolution
Let's face it, people. Ever since comic book movies
have been made, they've all sucked. They either didn't
stay true to the comic book, or was totally hampered
by a horrible script and unknown actors. Comic books
have had some success in the television world, with
the 1940s Superman series and the campy 1960s Batman
show, but all ended in sour notes. The actor playing
Superman died from an apparent suicide, while the
Batman series ended amdist rumors of a gay
relationship between Batman and the Boy Wonder, Robin.
Plus, people got tired of watching Batman and Robin
climbing walls. Did I mention they also made a campy
1960s Batman movie?! Holy Bat Condoms, Batman!
Unfortunately,
the movie industry hasn't been as welcoming to comic book movies
as television. Remember The Green
Hornet starring David Carridine and Asian superstar Bruce
Lee? Didn't think so. That's because this comic flick tanked at
the box office.
In
the late 1970s, comic fans breathed a sigh of relief with the
release of Superman starring Christopher Reeves as
mild-mannered Clark Kent and his heroic counter-part. Most
people regard the first two Superman
movies as the best movies about comic books ever to be made. But
after they made three more Superman flicks, the series got stale
quick.
In
1989, comic book fanboys flocked to the theatres to see the new
Batman movie starring big name stars like Michael Keaton (who,
up until that film, had only done comedies), Kim Basinger, and
Jack Nicholson, directed by creepy-ass director Tim Burton. The
movie, helped by the hype created by the comic industry and the
media which was enhanced by a slick advertising campaign, help
to set box office records. And it wasn't a bad movie either. The
time seemed ripe for a whole bunch of comic book films to come
out.
Not
so fast, Flash
Well, they made four more Batman films after the first one and
each was more horrible than the next. And it was terribly
inconsistent. The first two had a very dark and brooding tone
about it, while the rest was definitely lighter (probably due to
directorial changes: Joel Shumacher took the helm after Burton
was canned). The films also had different Batmen under the cowl:
Keaton for the first two, Val Kilmer for the next two, and
George Clooney for the last one. By the way, even though they
all made tons of money for Warner Brothers, all the films
sucked, so don't go see them.
Finally
So, this brings us to the present. X-Men is the first comic film
in a few years and the timing seems perfect, I think. Most
moviegoers have forgotten about the Batman movies and are ready
to see big names in this big budget movie. The $75 million pot
Marvel comics had to work with landed them director Brian Singer
(The Usual
Suspects), Shakespearean thespians Patrick Stewart and Ian
McCellan, hotties Halle Berry, Famke Jansen, and Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos, Oscar winner Anna Paquin, and other familiar
faces and newcomers.
X-Men
combines star power and directorial prowess with special effects
that combine elements of Batman with The Matrix.
Sprinkle a dash of promoting by the stars, some interviews, a
very clever ad campaign and premiere, and you've got yourself a
good heap of comic book soup. And the soup tastes good. It's
good soup.
This
particular soup made almost $60 million it's first weekend,
setting box office records everywhere. It seems as if the film
will gross about $175 million by the time everything is said and
done. So, the X-Men movie bucks the trend of horrible comic book
movies. I guess it's another Sign of the Apocalypse.
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